Paddle Battle and Puppy Play (September 20, 2014)

For coastal cities around the world, surf tourism brings huge revenue, but it can also bring conflict. Lindsay Usher (Old Dominion University) studies the rough waves that are sometimes made between locals and surf tourists. And: It’s no surprise that dogs make friends at the dog park, but it turns out people do too. Ed Gomez (Old Dominion University) says that dog parks build community and cut back on crime. Plus: After starting an antique photo collection, Ann-Janine Morey (James Madison University) discovered that old photos of people with their pets can teach us a lot about class.

Later in the show: Despite what many people believe, fall leaf color in Virginia is remarkably consistent every year. Dendrologist John Seiler (Virginia Tech) has been studying fall leaf color for decades. Also: Biologist Dan Cristol (College of William & Mary) says mercury pollution in waterways is not only bad for fish-eating birds, but also for songbirds, who are absorbing the toxin through the spiders they eat.

Summer Melt and the Z-Degree (September 13, 2014)

Bob Templin (Northern Virginia Community College) is president of one of the largest community colleges in the nation. He’s launched an innovative program that prepares thousands of Latino high school students for college. And: Too many low-income students who graduate from high school with the intent of attending college in the fall never show up. Ben Castleman (University of Virginia) suggests ways to reduce what he calls “the summer melt.” Plus: Textbooks alone can be prohibitively expensive in higher education. Now there’s the Z-Degree, the nation’s first accredited, entirely textbook-free degree program spearheaded by Linda Williams (Tidewater Community College).

Summer Melt and the Z-Degree (September 13, 2014)

Bob Templin (Northern Virginia Community College) is president of one of the largest community colleges in the nation. He’s launched an innovative program that prepares thousands of Latino high school students for college. And: Too many low-income students who graduate from high school with the intent of attending college in the fall never show up. Ben Castleman (University of Virginia) suggests ways to reduce what he calls “the summer melt.” Plus: Textbooks alone can be prohibitively expensive in higher education. Now there’s the Z-Degree, the nation’s first accredited, entirely textbook-free degree program spearheaded by Linda Williams (Tidewater Community College).

Summer Melt and the Z-Degree (September 13, 2014)

Bob Templin (Northern Virginia Community College) is president of one of the largest community colleges in the nation. He’s launched an innovative program that prepares thousands of Latino high school students for college. And: Too many low-income students who graduate from high school with the intent of attending college in the fall never show up. Ben Castleman (University of Virginia) suggests ways to reduce what he calls “the summer melt.” Plus: Textbooks alone can be prohibitively expensive in higher education. Now there’s the Z-Degree, the nation’s first accredited, entirely textbook-free degree program spearheaded by Linda Williams (Tidewater Community College).

Brigham Young: American Moses? (September 6, 2014)

Brigham Young was a rough-hewn transient from New York who was electrified by the Mormon faith. He married more than 50 women, and transformed a barren desert into his vision of the Kingdom of God. In his biography of Brigham Young, John Turner (George Mason University) explores Young’s thirty-year battle with the U.S Government for the control of Utah and his role in the massacre of settlers who came out west. Also featured: Since 1950, the South has undergone the most dramatic political transformation of any region in the United States. Quentin Kidd (Christopher Newport University) argues the once solid Democratic-South is now overwhelmingly Republican, and African Americans are voting at levels comparable to those of whites.

Later in the show: In the 18th century it was hard cider, not beer, that was the alcoholic beverage of choice. Even children drank hard cider because it was safer than the water. David Williams (George Mason University) investigates how this preference for hard cider disappeared from the American palate. Also featured: Deborah O’Dell (University of Mary Washington) studies magnetic orientation in bees, which, like homing pigeons, use magnetic fields to orient themselves. She’s interested in studies that suggest that bees living near cell phone towers may become disoriented and produce less honey.

Brigham Young: American Moses? (September 6, 2014)

Brigham Young was a rough-hewn transient from New York who was electrified by the Mormon faith. He married more than 50 women, and transformed a barren desert into his vision of the Kingdom of God. In his biography of Brigham Young, John Turner (George Mason University) explores Young’s thirty-year battle with the U.S Government for the control of Utah and his role in the massacre of settlers who came out west. Also featured: Since 1950, the South has undergone the most dramatic political transformation of any region in the United States. Quentin Kidd (Christopher Newport University) argues the once solid Democratic-South is now overwhelmingly Republican, and African Americans are voting at levels comparable to those of whites.

Later in the show: In the 18th century it was hard cider, not beer, that was the alcoholic beverage of choice. Even children drank hard cider because it was safer than the water. David Williams (George Mason University) investigates how this preference for hard cider disappeared from the American palate. Also featured: Deborah O’Dell (University of Mary Washington) studies magnetic orientation in bees, which, like homing pigeons, use magnetic fields to orient themselves. She’s interested in studies that suggest that bees living near cell phone towers may become disoriented and produce less honey.

Brigham Young: American Moses? (September 6, 2014)

Brigham Young was a rough-hewn transient from New York who was electrified by the Mormon faith. He married more than 50 women, and transformed a barren desert into his vision of the Kingdom of God. In his biography of Brigham Young, John Turner (George Mason University) explores Young’s thirty-year battle with the U.S Government for the control of Utah and his role in the massacre of settlers who came out west. Also featured: Since 1950, the South has undergone the most dramatic political transformation of any region in the United States. Quentin Kidd (Christopher Newport University) argues the once solid Democratic-South is now overwhelmingly Republican, and African Americans are voting at levels comparable to those of whites.

Later in the show: In the 18th century it was hard cider, not beer, that was the alcoholic beverage of choice. Even children drank hard cider because it was safer than the water. David Williams (George Mason University) investigates how this preference for hard cider disappeared from the American palate. Also featured: Deborah O’Dell (University of Mary Washington) studies magnetic orientation in bees, which, like homing pigeons, use magnetic fields to orient themselves. She’s interested in studies that suggest that bees living near cell phone towers may become disoriented and produce less honey.

In the years after World War I, stunt pilots in small airplanes would fly throughout the country, performing tricks and selling rides to locals—introducing Americans to flight for the first time. By the end of World War II, says Historian Houston Johnson, air travel and airports were commonplace, in large part because of the efforts of the Works Progress Administration. Plus: The BBC television fantasy series Dr. Who has been around for more than 50 years and has a large devoted fan base here in America and around the world. This month saw the debut of the 12th doctor who can travel through time and space. Jason Barr is coeditor of the new book The Language of Dr. Who.

Later in the show: Over the past decade, Mexican drug traffickers trying to get their products to the U.S. have had a spiritual “protector.” Her name is Santa Muerte, and she’s a Mexican folk saint for not just drug traffickers, but prostitutes too. Andrew Chesnut is the author of Devoted to Death, in which he looks at Santa Muerte’s growing cult of followers in both Mexico and the U.S. Also featured: Africa is often thought of as a continent rife with wars, famines, wild animals, and primitive tribes. But Robert Vinson is working on a new book that challenges those ideas. He says Zulu people of South Africa were active shapers of the modern Atlantic world, influencing popular culture, literature, sports, and the Civil Rights movement.

In the years after World War I, stunt pilots in small airplanes would fly throughout the country, performing tricks and selling rides to locals—introducing Americans to flight for the first time. By the end of World War II, says Historian Houston Johnson, air travel and airports were commonplace, in large part because of the efforts of the Works Progress Administration. Plus: The BBC television fantasy series Dr. Who has been around for more than 50 years and has a large devoted fan base here in America and around the world. This month saw the debut of the 12th doctor who can travel through time and space. Jason Barr is coeditor of the new book The Language of Dr. Who.

Later in the show: Over the past decade, Mexican drug traffickers trying to get their products to the U.S. have had a spiritual “protector.” Her name is Santa Muerte, and she’s a Mexican folk saint for not just drug traffickers, but prostitutes too. Andrew Chesnut is the author of Devoted to Death, in which he looks at Santa Muerte’s growing cult of followers in both Mexico and the U.S. Also featured: Africa is often thought of as a continent rife with wars, famines, wild animals, and primitive tribes. But Robert Vinson is working on a new book that challenges those ideas. He says Zulu people of South Africa were active shapers of the modern Atlantic world, influencing popular culture, literature, sports, and the Civil Rights movement.

In the years after World War I, stunt pilots in small airplanes would fly throughout the country, performing tricks and selling rides to locals—introducing Americans to flight for the first time. By the end of World War II, says Historian Houston Johnson, air travel and airports were commonplace, in large part because of the efforts of the Works Progress Administration. Plus: The BBC television fantasy series Dr. Who has been around for more than 50 years and has a large devoted fan base here in America and around the world. This month saw the debut of the 12th doctor who can travel through time and space. Jason Barr is coeditor of the new book The Language of Dr. Who.

Later in the show: Over the past decade, Mexican drug traffickers trying to get their products to the U.S. have had a spiritual “protector.” Her name is Santa Muerte, and she’s a Mexican folk saint for not just drug traffickers, but prostitutes too. Andrew Chesnut is the author of Devoted to Death, in which he looks at Santa Muerte’s growing cult of followers in both Mexico and the U.S. Also featured: Africa is often thought of as a continent rife with wars, famines, wild animals, and primitive tribes. But Robert Vinson is working on a new book that challenges those ideas. He says Zulu people of South Africa were active shapers of the modern Atlantic world, influencing popular culture, literature, sports, and the Civil Rights movement.